President of the United Nations General Assembly and Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid on Monday stressed on the role played by India at the UN. External Affairs minister S Jaishankar, after meeting Shahid, said India’s “Neighbourhood First” and the Maldives’ “India First” policies complement each other.
On a visit to India, Shahid held talks with Jaishankar which covered a range of key issues, including cooperation at the UN.
Acknowledging the pivotal role India played during the Covid recovery phase, the Maldivian leader underscored that the country had proven to be the “pharmacy of the world” that assisted several countries in the remotest parts of the globe.
Separately, Jaishankar also met Maldivian Speaker and former president Mohammad Nasheed, who is also visiting India. “We discussed Maldives and issues facing Indian Ocean island nations. Of course, Sri Lanka’s crisis worries us both,” Nasheed said.